What is Part L?

Building Regulation Document L is comprised of two volumes.

Volume 1 (L1) is concerned with the conservation of fuel and power in Dwellings.

This volume is made up of L1A which is concerned with new dwellings and L1B with existing dwellings, i.e. extensions and refurbishments.

Volume 2 (L2) is concerned with Non-dwelling development such as offices, retail, and industrial commercial developments.

At G.A.Architects, we are predominately concerned with L1B.

New dwellings have higher performance requirements than existing ones, but the imminent amendments entail significant performance upgrades to all dwelling development.

What are the changes?

The new regulations will increase the heating system’s energy efficiency, electricity usage/ consumption, lighting, and the U values for walls, roofs, floors, and glazing.

Air source heat pumps will become more popular, and there will be lower air leakage. Good thermal bridging, LED lighting, Low-temperature radiators, and wastewater heat recovery will all be necessary for achieving approval.

These changes may very well necessitate the need for Non-Material amendments to previously approved planning applications that have not started yet.  For these approvals, the thermal elements will become much chunkier, which will most likely require a larger building.

Under the Building Regulation amendments, there is also a requirement for BREL (Building Regulations England Part l) Reports at the Design stage and at Completion by SAP Assessors, which should be signed by them and the main contractor/ builder.

There is also a requirement for a photographic report of the construction as it progresses.  The report should comply with Section 8 of Appendix B. These photographs should capture the key elements and junctions of the building and should be issued to the SAP Assessor and BCO at Completion.

The amendments to the approved document Part L1A & L1B take effect on 15 June 2022 for use in England. To avoid compliance with these latest regulations you must submit a Building/ Initial Notice before the 15th of June 2022 and construction on all dwellings must begin before the 15th of June 2023.

These updated regulations are welcome for two reasons.  They aim to reduce our use of CO2, which is essential for our and the health of Earth.  They also address a loophole in current practice where the design is not always followed through into the construction.  At G.A.Architects, we maintain a close relationship with builders to ensure that the design is faithfully executed to a high standard of workmanship.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at G.A.Architects.